1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to firearms and more particularly to a dry-fire firearms training device and method of dry fire training.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Firearms safety is an ongoing concern for both owners and non-owners of firearms. One way to improve firearms safety is for personnel to use proper technique and safely handle firearms. Currently, however, the US firearms industry is constrained by foreign wars and increased attention on public and personal safety. These factors have produced periods of shortages in popular ammunition as well as increased sales of firearms throughout the U.S. Ammunition for AR-type rifles is approximately $1 per round. With military training exercises using approximately 30,000 rounds per soldier in one week, training and instruction costs using live ammunition are very high.
During times of increased small arms market activity, training remains a constant source of financial concern for civilians, law enforcement organizations, and the military. To date, many companies have presented training solutions that address the issues of rising training costs, logistics associated with planning firearms training events, and the safety of instruction cadre and safety support personnel. Under current standards, inexperienced personnel are instructed and trained in weapons manipulation and marksmanship fundamentals using dry-fire principles.
One approach to dry-fire training devices is a pistol made by Glock, known as the Shot Indicating Resetting Trigger Training Pistol (SIRT). The SIRT pistol is designed to improve shooting accuracy by providing a cost-conscious, safe, training pistol designed to complement, but not replace, live-fire training for law enforcement professionals. The SIRT pistol is made of steel and has the look and feel of the real live-fire pistol. It matches the size, weight, and center of gravity of a live-fire pistol and may be customized with features that include magazine cartridge changes and replaceable sights. The SIRT pistol is different from other live-fire or Airsoft® pistols in that it provides instant performance feedback without the ongoing need to supply ammunition and targets. The SIRT pistol is useful to improve shooting accuracy, sidearm handling, live course programs, and training scenarios. Because the SIRT pistol does not discharge any type of projectile, it can be used safely in nearly every environment and situation. As a pistol, the SIRT training pistol is of little use for training and instruction with rifles.
For rifles, the current standard is to use a fully-operational firearm in dry-fire and live-fire exercises to instruct and train inexperienced personnel. Rifle dry-fire training principles focus on manipulating the trigger while controlling breathing, stock weld, cheek weld, sight alignment, and sight picture.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a live-fire AR-15 rifle 10 of the prior art. Rifle 10 includes an upper receiver 12 and a lower receiver 14. Upper receiver 12 includes a barrel 16 and a chamber 18 with a bolt carrier assembly 20. Bolt carrier assembly 20 (a.k.a. bolt carrier group) includes a bolt carrier, a bolt, and a firing pin. A charging handle 38 engages the bolt to move the bolt to an open position to chamber a round into chamber 18. Lower receiver 14 includes a magazine assembly 26, trigger mechanism 28, pistol grip 30, and a buttstock 32. To fire rifle 10, the user begins by inserting a loaded magazine 34 into the magazine well 36. The user then charges the rifle by pulling the charging handle 38 backwards. When charging handle 38 is in the open position (pulled back) it also draws bolt carrier assembly 20 backwards towards buttstock 32, allowing a round to enter chamber 18. When no round is in chamber 18, carrier assembly and charging handle 38 are locked in the open position until the user depresses a bolt release lever 40 (not visible) on the left side of the rifle 10 to release bolt 22 forward. With a round chambered, bolt carrier assembly 20 with charging handle 38 returns to the closed (forward) position and the rifle is ready to fire.
The user then positions rifle 10 with a proper cheek weld and stock weld and then establishes a sight alignment and sight picture. Because the AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle, the user need only manipulate trigger mechanism 28 once for each shot. After firing each round, the shell is ejected from chamber 18 as bolt 22 returns to the open position, the next round in magazine 34 enters chamber 18, and bolt 22 then returns to the closed position with rifle 10 now charged and ready to fire again. As a result, the user is able to maintain cheek weld, stock weld, sight alignment, and sight picture after each shot until all rounds in magazine 34 have been fired. After the last round from magazine 34 is fired, bolt 22 will remain in the open position, causing trigger mechanism 28 to be locked and informing the user that no ammunition remains. The user then depresses a magazine release button 40 to release magazine 34 so that rifle 10 can be reloaded with another loaded magazine 34. This live-fire sequence is repeated to develop muscle memory and establish proper firearm handling and protocol. An important part of this live-fire training sequence includes maintaining cheek weld, stock weld, sight alignment, and sight picture from one shot to the next, such as when practicing follow up shots. When the shooter dry fires a fully functioning live-fire rifle (i.e., without ammunition) to practice firearm handling and protocol, the shooter's cheek weld, stock weld, sight alignment, and sight picture must be broken after each shot. Since no round is chambered, the trigger mechanism locks each time the trigger is pulled and charging handle 38 must be pulled back to unlock the trigger.